James b



J. B. MAY.

/ Fruit Dryer.v

No. 100,914. Patented Mar0h15. 1870.

.IAMES B. MAY, 0F )[dG-NOLIA, OHIO.

Letters Patent No. 100,914, dated JIa'rch 15, 1870.

FRUIT-DRIER.

The Schedule referred to inthese Letters Patent and making part of thesame To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Janus B. Mar, of Magnolia, in the county of Stark,and State of Ohio, have 'invented certain Improvements in theConstruction of Drying-Houses for Drying Fruit.

The first part of my invention relates to theconstruction of aheat-reservoir in the lower part of the drying-house, and filling itwithloose roundish stones, in connection with thefurnacc and chimney, insuch a manner as to furnish heated air for drying the fruit, free fromsmoke and sparks, and for a considerable time after the combustion ofthe fuel ceases, and doing this with cheap or inferior fuel.

The second part of my invention relates to the construction of ametallic cover or heating-plate for such heat-reservoir, with suchopenings, valves, and standards as will regulate the admission of theheated air to the fruit, and, by the aid of other devices hereinaft ermentioned, eflectually and conveniently control the direction of suchheated air, so as to concentrate it .in one end or side, or in thecenter of the house, at

pleasure. y

The third part of my invention relates to the con; struction and use ofcertain other openings,,buttonvalves, and other devices for the purposeof ventilating the house, regulating the draught of air therein, and, inconjunction with those described above, regulating the supply of heatedair to different parts of the house at the same time. g

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings to illustrate myimprovements.

Figure 1 is an elevation of my drying-house.

Figure 2'is a vertical cross-section made of the same bythe plane a: y.

Figure 3 is a plan 'of the heating-plate, with its holes, standards,valves, and deflectors.

Figure 4. is a view'of the standards for the deflectors. Figure 5 is'aperspective view of the fruit-racks. Figure 6 is a plan of theventilator slide-valves. To enable others to make and use myimprovements, I will proceed now to describe more fully'theirconstruction, arrangement, and operation. 1

The walls A A are made double, as shown'in fig. 2, in order that thetemperature within the house may not easily be afl'cted by that without.

On the interior of the side walls are fastened the cleats a a, whichsupport the fruit-racks L L. These fruit-racks are introduced into thehouse through'doors F F, and slide upon said cleats.

On the ridge of the roof B are the ventilators O C, which are opened andclosed by means of the slidevalves D D,.the form of which are shown infig. 6, and

are moved in andout upon the slides c 0, shown in-fig. 2, their outerends-projectingthrough proper ()pBIllIlgS outside of the house, so thatthey can be operated from without.

The heating-plate G furnishes the top or cover for i the heat-reservoirI and extends under the inner walls of the house, all around. In thisheating-plate are made one, two, or more openings, h it, through whichthe heated air from the reservoir may be admitted when desired, andthese openings may be wholly or partially closed by placing over them,or partly over them, the metal plates P P, which are or may be muchlonger and wider than such openings. Upon or into (each end of each ofthese plates, and equidistant from For the purpose of such suspension,standards 0 o,

side and edge views of which are shown in fig. 4, are constructed, andare fastened upon the heating-plate G by means of rivets through flangesupon their lower ends; v them are provided for each deflecting plate,and they are placed at such distances apart that the deflectors may besuspended by the pins 1) between them, and each one has a series ofslots,i i i, running from the top downward, and of such size that thepins 1) may be passed into them, and. barely turn with friction in them,so that the deflectors when set in them, at any angle with theheating-plate (i, will remain in posit-ion without other fastening. I

In order that the deflectors may be handled when hot, small eyes, s,arecast or otherwise fastened upon thennas shown, into which longhandles may be inserted for that purpose.

In fig. 3 the deflectors are shown as lying flat over the holes h h, butin fig. 2, a side view of the standards o o, and an imperfect end viewof the deflectors suspended upon them.

The heating apparatus consistsof the furnace H, into which the fuel tobe burned is introduced. The

l1eating reservoir I, which is of the same length and breadth of theheating-plate G, and from one to two feet deep, and is to .be filledwith loose roundish stones, varying from the size of a hens egg to thatof a gooses --cobble stones to be preferred if to be conveniently had.They should not fit so closely together as to prevent the freecirculation of hot air through them, and yet so closely-as not to admitthe-passage of smoke, flame, or sparks; and the chimney K, which affordsthe needed draught as well as an exit for the unconsnmed smoke.

The furnace H,l1eat-rescrroir I,'and chimney K may be built on thesurface of the ground, if desired, the walls being formed of bricks orstones, but where a suitable location can he had on a hill-side they mayhe very cheaply made by digging a pit in the ground a little smallerthan the plate G,.and of. the desired They stand upright upon the plate,and two of l depth, then digging a short ditch at the lower side, andcovering it nearly over with stones, which will form the furnace H;while the chimney K may be built-up as shown, or may be formed bydigging a trench up the side-hill, and covering it over with flatstones, except at the end, whereby a sufiicient draught for the tire maybe obtained, and the smoke carried away from the house so as not toinjure the fruit.

In the walls A A of the house are apertures b b b, which may he closedby means of the button-valves g' g g, and other apertures ff and e c, tobe closed by button-valves, are. made in the doors FF and the end wallsE E, as shown.

The fruit-racks, as shown in fig. 5, are composed of thecross-pieces LL, slat-s N N N, and rim M, and should be made of a sutficient width forthem to be supported by and slide back and forth upon the cleats aa onthe-interior walls of the house; but they should be made just half aslong as the interior length of the house, so that they may be taken outand replaced, or changed end for end, at convenience, while drying thefruit upon them.

The foregoing description of parts makes the operation of mydrying-house so obvious that it is scarcely necessary to explain itfurther. We. will, however, suppose that the racks have been properlyfilled with fruit, and before starting a fire in the furnace, the platesP P are laid flat over the holes I: h in the heatlug-plate G so as toclose them, and the ventilators O O and the apertures 11 b, ff, and c care also closed. The fire is then started in the furnace H, and theflames and smoke from the burning fuel are drawn through the mass ofloose stones in the heat-reservoir I by the draught of the chimney K,and heat the stones until they become quite hot, and also heat the plateG, which conmnmicates its heat to the fruit in the racks above. a

As soon as the heat in the interior has become sufficient to produce anyconsiderable amount of draught, the ventilators O 0 should be opened;and when the fuel in the furnace has arrived at that stage of combustion where it is free from smoke and is a mass of glowing coals, themouths of both furnace and chimney-are closed, so as to confine the heatwithin the reservoir 1'. The heat-regulators, plates, or deflectors P Imay be removed from over the holes h h and suspended upon the standards0 0. The heated air and heat will then descend through the holes h 71,and heat and dry the fruit rapidly.

Then will come into use the various devices, before described, forregulating and controlling the application of the hcat'to any part orparts of the house, *just as the operator may desire. For instance, ifit be desirable to have the heat to pass up through the center of theracks, the deflectors P P are pitched, as shown in 2, the 'veutilators GO are opened, and the draught'through them will secure that object withthe aid of the deflectors. But if the most heat be desired in one sideof the house, then the apertures in the walls of that side are opened,the ventilators O C in the top are closed, and the deflectors pitchedaccordingly, and the thing is accomplished, for the deflectors anddraught drive the'heated air in the direction desired. But if it bedesired to have the heat concentrated in one end of the house, then theapertures in the walls at that end are opened, and all the otherapertures closed, and the deflectors standing over the holes It h are sopitched as to deflect the currents of heated air to that end ofthehouse.

This is done thus: We will suppose it to be expedient to have all theheat in the back end of the house, then the pins 1) p at the front endsof the deflectors are placed in the lowest slats in the standards 0 0,while the pins in the other ends are placed in the higher or highestslots. Then it will be understood that by my combined devices, theapertures in the side walls and end walls and in the top of the house,and the adjustable deflectors P P, I have perfect control of the heatafter it is admitted into the front chamber.

1 am aware that deflectors have been used in drying-houses before forapurpose similar to that of mine; but such have been confined by theirmode of operation to deflecting the heat to the right and left, but notto the front and rear; while my deflectors throw the heat to the rightand left and to the front and rear, and by the aid of my system ofapertures with their butt-onvalves in the side and end walls, they dothis most effectually;

I am also aware in drying-houses for lumber, grain, and fruit, a mass ofloose stones has been used over the heating furnace, such stones (notseparated, however, from the chamber containing the articles to be driedby any beating-plate, as it is in my drying-house) being for the purposeof preventing sparks and flame from coming into contact with sucharticles, as well as for retaining and giving ofl the heat graduallywhen the tire has burned down.

In my manner I have succeeded by the combination of my furnace and myheat-reservoir filled with loose stones, heat-plate, and chimney, in soregulating the supply of heat to the fruit-chamber that the process ofdrying may be continued through the night time without the risk of thefruit being inj ured' by smoke,

sparks, or otherwise, and without attention on the" For instance, if atthe close of part of the operator. the day the furnace be left full ofglowing coals, and the mass of stones in the reservoir has beenthoroughly heated, and the valves in the walls, the doors of thefurnace, and the exit of the chimney all closed, the ventilators O O andthe holes h It being open, heat would be evolved and the process ofdrying go on duringdthe whole night without further attention of any kin-What I claim to be new, and desire tosccure by Letters Patent, is-

1'. The described heat-reservoir composed of its walls at, the mass ofloose stones, and the plate G, in combination with the furnace H, flueor chimney K, and the walls A A and roof B of the house, coustructcd,combined, and arranged substantially as set forth, for the purposedescribed.

2. The heating-plate G, with its openings It It, with its standards 0 o,in combination with the adjustable deflecting plates 1: P, the walls A Aand roof B, and the reservoir I, constructed and arranged substantiallyas and for the purpose described.

3. The walls A A and roof B, with their various apertures andventilators, in combination with the adjustable deflectors l P,heating-plate G, with its stainlards o 0, holes h h, the heat-reservoirI, furnace H, and fruit-racks L M N, when constructed and arrangedsubstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

JAMES B. MAY.

Witnesses:

Jon 0. Move, 1. N. Ross.

